Makers & Electronics

I was eager to replace my old Athlon X2 5200+ desktop that I used for Linux (Primarily a Windows and Mac user here) with a Raspberry Pi 2 because the temperature in my bedroom where it was placed get's quite a bit warmer than the rest of the house. That system runs 24/7 and also takes up a lot of space! I mainly used it to do whatever I needed to do that was in Linux (not much), often that's just so I can connect back to it and use IRC from my home's network even when I'm out and about. I don't need a lot of power for that. So time to try the new Pi!

Now, I already have two Raspberry Pis. One, a B+ model, is for my 3D printer running Octoprint so I can monitor or control the 3D printer no matter where I am, untethered. I also have an A+ Raspberry Pi going into my XBee Remote Control project with a piTFT Capacitive Touch Screen (see articles about that in the future!). The 2 B seemed to be more suitable with more RAM and a lot more processor.

OPERATING SYSTEM:

So, what operating system? For most people that's a simple one. Raspbian is built for these and is very easy to setup on the Pi, but I'm not a typical non-Linux user. I use Linux on a daily basis for at least my day job. I know my way around and get usually get what I need accomplished. So I chose ArchLinux ARM for its compatibility with ARMv7 (Raspbian is questionable there) and the fact that it's as minimal as I want it to be from the start. It's difficult to setup if you're not comfortable with Linux as there is absolutely no installer for it. Since I'm a Windows / Mac user I had to run ArchLinux on an x86_64 Virtual Machine (on my Windows desktop) and connect my micro-SD card reader to that virtual machine to get things installed on to the card. I might consider writing a guide on how to do this on a later date.

POWER:

Here's the important part. My Raspberry Pi 2 ran well for a while, but after a couple of weeks it would freeze up on me. When this would happen I would lose all network connectivity to the device, then coming home to find the green light stuck on (not always) and absolutely nothing from HDMI. I was using a power supply designed for the Raspberry Pi B+; though they advertised that it will work with the new Raspberry Pi 2 (apparently not so).

The Raspberry Pi 2 is going to draw more than 1A of current so when buying a power supply I suggest you start with 2A version. After moving to a 2.5A power supply I no longer had problems.

RESULT:

I'm enjoying my Raspberry Pi 2 as an everyday Linux system! I only use SSH with it though so I cannot say how much better the results are for this device when it comes to running something like LXDE (GUI). I may have turned into an ArchLinux convert..